Queen Elizabeth is Queen of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms. The Duke and Duchess of York welcomed their first child, Elizabeth, into the world in Mayfair, London (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth).
King Edward VIII abdicated the throne in 1936, making his son, King George VI, the heir presumptive. While she had had a private education up to that point, she began serving the public interest during World War II as a member of the Auxiliary Territorial Service.
Philip Mountbatten, a former Greek, and Danish royal was her husband for 73 years, until his death in 2021. Charles, Prince of Wales, Prince Anne, Princess Royal, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, were their four sons and daughters.
At the age of 25, Elizabeth II succeeded to the thrones of seven separate Commonwealth nations after the death of her father in February 1952: the United Kingdom; Canada; Australia; New Zealand; South Africa; Pakistan; and Ceylon; as well as the position of Head of the Commonwealth.
Through important political events including the Troubles in Northern Ireland, devolution in the UK, decolonization in Africa, and the UK’s entry into and exit from the European Union, Elizabeth II has reigned as a constitutional queen.
Who will succeed Queen Elizabeth when She Dies?
Charles, Prince of Wales, is the heir to the throne, while Queen Elizabeth II is the monarch. The oldest son of the Prince of Wales, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, will be the next in line to the throne.
